[4][circular reference] The town was named in honor of New York Senator Chauncey Depew.

[5] Depew began as a settlement named Hall in 1898, when the St. Louis and Oklahoma City Railroad (later merged into the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) built a line between Sapulpa and Oklahoma City.

29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior set up what he called "freedom schools" in Depew to educate local blacks on how to peacefully gain their right to vote in Creek County.

Thus the black community in Depew is rather strong compared to most of the surrounding towns.